Montessori Activity: setting up the table - placemat review
May 21, 2021 - Montessori , Practical Activies - By Carine Robin
In our family, we eat every day at the table as a family. Setting up the table is part of the activities that my children have been doing since they were very little.
As toddlers, they would bring their plate, cup and cutlery to the table. When they were a bit older, they would proudly setting up everyone dishes.
What helps a young child to set up the table in an orderly way is a place mat!
During my AMI training, we were suggested to make our own place mat. The idea is to hand stitch the outlines of the plate, cup and cutlery. When it comes to textile skills, I am not the best so I have printed and laminated my own place mat. Or for my playgroup, I simply used a sharpie to draw the outlines of the plate, cup and cutlery on a fabric place mat from IKEA.
Setting a table
This is a traditional practical life activity. In the classroom, it will be available on the shelf on its own. Children will also be invited to set up the table at lunch time. At home you can offer that opportunity more often. Children will love to have that responsibility and will feel valued to have contributed to the family life by setting up a nice table.
Start by inviting your child to setting up his own place mat with his cutlery, plate and cup. It is a bit like a matching activity to start with. It also involves gross motor skills as he carries everything to the table.
When your child can easily set up his own place mat, encourage him to set up the table for everyone.
Further activities could be rolling the napkins into a napkin ring and learning fancy napkin fold. Older children might want to add a bunch of flower in a vase or might want to light a candle.
There are countless commercially available place mats and I wanted to showcase two options here!
Marula Tree fabric place mats
The lady behind this shop is local-ish to me and a Montessori childminder. She has so many lovely fabric items on her shop! Place mats but also aprons and 3 parts cards pouches.
Kids house place mat
This is a London based company set up by a mother who became passionate about Montessori.
Those place mats are made of food-grade silicon and are designed in the UK by a Montessori passionate mum!
I like that we can roll them for storage and wash them fully in soapy water. You have 2 size options, 3 colours and with or without the knife.
This one is my favourite place mat.
The Kids house place mat is currently only on sale on Amazon.
Embroidery placemats
Montessori design by Nuccia offers some hand-stitched placemats.
So do you use a place mat? Which one is your favourite?
This blog post contains affiliate links at no extra cost for you. Thanks for supporting my work. Kids House gifted me their place mat to try.
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About the Author: Carine Robin is a qualified and experienced Montessori teacher and founder of The Montessori Family. With over 15 years of experience, Carine offers a blend of professional insight and personal understanding as a mother of two and qualified child psychologist. Inspired by the success of her Montessori subscription box, she created The Montessori Family to provide a comprehensive resource for parents and teachers globally. This platform aims to support child growth and well-being through curated educational activities. Additionally, Carine maintains the UK's most popular Montessori blog and administers the largest Montessori UK Facebook group, making her a central figure in the Montessori community.
